On the afternoon of April 29, Ninh Van Dong, chairman of the Nam Xuan Commune People's Committee in Thanh Hoa Province, said heavy rain and thunderstorms struck the area at about 10 pm on April 28. The storm collapsed a stilt house belonging to a local family, killing a schoolboy.
The victim was identified as a 13-year-old boy from Cua Hamlet, Nam Xuan Commune. He was sleeping with his paternal grandparents in the stilt house when the storm hit and brought the structure down. Heavy wooden beams fell onto the spot where he was lying, killing him.
The house where the boy was lying collapsed after the thunderstorm (Photo: Nam Xuan Commune People's Committee).
According to a report from the Nam Xuan Commune People's Committee, the storm damaged 10 households' homes.
Beyond Nam Xuan Commune, the rainstorm on the evening of April 28 also caused damage in several other communes across Thanh Hoa Province.
According to figures from the Thanh Hoa Province Office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, strong winds tore roofs from dozens of homes in Phu Xuan, Hien Kiet, Ngoc Lien and Pu Luong communes.
Many areas also reported fallen trees blocking roads, ceremonial gates collapsing and school roofs being ripped off. Across the province, nearly 280 hectares of rice at the flowering stage, along with maize and acacia, were flattened or broken, mainly in Mau Lam, Thang Binh, Cac Son and Quy Luong communes.
Local authorities are mobilising forces to help residents clear their homes, cut and remove fallen trees, secure damaged roofs, and coordinate with the power sector to repair broken electricity poles and inspect the grid to ensure safety.